The Bunny and Demon
by DAve and Bob
Summary: Months after Rosemary Village destruction Kagura Mikazuchi along with a few other children are found and sent to a makeshift orphanages in a small town. There she meets a rather odd boy with a rather odd magic if it could be called magic at all. They each had a simple wish, his was to be the strongest under the heavens, and hers was to see her brother again no matter what!
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

 **The Boy by the Shore.**

The small girl took a deep breath as she looked up at the building before her. Her body was shaking as she and the rest of the children hesitated if only for a moment.

Perhaps it was just fear, or maybe uncertainty still filled her head. Was she lucky? No, it was merely fate that brought her here.

"Now, children, please relax, and the madam will be out shortly." The woman that had escorted them there gave a small smile as she entered the large building, the black-haired girl biting her bottom lip.

She was safe...that is what she kept telling herself. However, even if she was safe, none of that mattered. All she was worried about was finding out where her brother was, and yet.

"You all may come in!" The woman smiled before she continued. "Oh, please get into a single file line. There is a lot of you and not a lot of space~" The caretaker grinned as she allowed the children into the building.

They did as they were told as they entered the building. The girl took a deep breath the moment she entered. Perhaps she underestimated the size from the outside, but everything seemed to tower over her.

The ceiling of the building was that of a painted sky. It was like a chapel with three floors as if it was a tower. At the end of the bottom floor was a woman in a long dress standing before them — a small tanned skinned girl around her age standing next to her.

"There is...quite a lot of them." The woman sitting at the desk frown as the caretaker smiled.

"Well, these are all the kids that were displaced due to the children hunts. We went through a few of the village and found whomever we could." The caretaker pointed.

The woman behind the desk just sighed. "Rather sad, to say the least..." The woman then cleared her voice before standing up, letting out the goofiest of grins.

"My name is MeMe Law, and I am the owner of this building. I know it's not much, but for the time being, you will be staying here. Now, if you may please give me your name, we should be able to find a room for you."

The caretaker then ushered each child up to the desk as they gave their names. There were probably at least thirty of them as one by one they walked up, Mrs. Law signing off on them.

Finally, it was the black-haired girl's turn. She straightened her ribbon before holding her chest. She walked up to the desk as MeMe lowered her head.

"Why hello there, what is your name?"

"Ah-" The girl paused for a moment. She was confident going in, but for some reason, she was choking up. "I-its, Kagura Mikazuchi." Kagura finally spoke as MeMe's eyes widened.

"Ah, a rather long name, huh?"

Kagura faced turned red as the girl standing next to her mother chuckled.

"Don't worry about it." MeMe smiled as she quickly wrote down the young girl's name. Kagura then stepped the side with the rest of the finished kids as she waited for the process to be done.

Once they were all sorted, Mrs. Law took a look at the least and started to count for a bit.

"Ah, please follow the caretaker throughout the building as she gives you each your rooms." MeMe said that as she handed the caretaker the papers as the woman gave a slight bow.

"All right, please follow me~" The woman chirped as the ocean of children followed her through the buildings.

Younger kids were grouped in pairs, while older children were allowed to have their own rooms. Luckily Kagura barely reached the age requirements to get one herself

"Here you go, Kagura." The woman smiled as she let the small girl into her rather bare room.

There was a tiny bed with a small bookshelf next to it. There was a window peeking into the streets below as the caretaker started speaking once again.

"It will take some time to get settled. We will bring you some food in a few hours, so why not try to relax." The caretaker smiled as she slowly shut the door leaving Kagura completely alone.

The small girl paused for a moment, looking around. The room wasn't that far off from the one she used to have back at home...though thinking about it, calling it home was wrong.

She frowned, slowly taking the ribbon from off of her head and staring at it. It was the only thing she had of her brother, something she wanted to keep by her side at all times.

She slowly sat on her bed, tying her ribbon back onto her head before laying down. Her eyes glued to the ceiling above.

"I'm safe..." She repeated those words to herself. Yet she still couldn't be happy, not when she had no idea where her brother was, and her entire village was gone.

Even if she was safe, what was there to be happy about. Why should she be glad to exist while losing everything she cared about?

"Ah," she felt tears rolling down her eyes. She felt pathetic, and now she was making herself cry.

Just as Kagura started to sob, she heard something knock against her window. She quickly shot up, looking around as she walked towards the glass, staring outside.

Only a few feet away from the building was a large tree that reached to the second floor of the building. In the tree was a fat cat, the branch it was sitting on slowly starting to bed. Next to the animal was a boy about Kagura's age desperately trying to latch onto the tree, slowly creeping towards the creature.

Kagura started at him. He had a dark complexation with white hair. His clothes seemed to be raggedy and torn as if he hadn't changed them in a while. Kagura slowly noticed the bending branch starting to break as she held her breath.

A part of her wondered if it would have been proper to warn him. Would she get into trouble, she bit her lip as she pushed such thoughts to the back of her head. She couldn't do much, but she could do that much.

Kagura tapped on the window as she noticed the boy flinched. He turned his head as the two eyes met; she noted his red eyes. The boy then grinned, waving at her.

It seemed that he completely missed her warning. Then again, a window tap probably wasn't going to do much. Kagura then completely opened her window.

"Hey, the bran-" She couldn't finish her statement as the branch snapped in two forcing the cat to jump from its place, digging its claws into the boy's face.

He let out a yelp as he and the cat fell from the tall tree into the ground below, causing Kagura to wince at the impact. She looked down, looking at the boy laying on is back the cat still clinging to his head.

A woman was standing over both of them. She held out her arm as the cat jumped from the boy's face into her arms. The woman then helped him up as the two engaged in a meaningless conversation.

"Ah, I guess he's fine..." Kagura frowned as she slowly shut the window though she couldn't help but feel a tad bit guilty for what had happened, though the fact that he didn't seem to have been hurt was good enough.

Hours passed as Kagura continued to try to make herself at home. She didn't have much. She decided to watch the people go by from her window.

The town itself was a bit larger than Rosemary Village, but not by much. Though the fact it had a familiar air to it was calming to her. While it wasn't a replacement, she could at least take comfort in that.

As she continued to look out the window, her room door slowly opened as the caretaker walked in with a plate of food.

"Hey, just brought you something. Would you like to eat with the rest of the kids or by yourself?" The woman tilted her head as Kagura held her breath for a moment.

"Ah...well." She paused before finally giving her answer. "I wouldn't minds eating with the other kids."

The caretaker then smiled as she opened the door wider, still holding Kagura's place. "All right, come on, then, let's go back to the main room."

Kagura nodded as she slowly got up. She had long since stopped crying, and at the moment, this was the only time she would be able to get to know the rest of the kids.

As the two walked, Kagura had to ask something. "Um, if I could ask. Is there a white-haired boy staying here?"

The caretaker eyes widened for a moment before she chuckled. "Ah, you must have seen Fon from your window, huh?"

"Oh, so he does stay here?" Kagura asked as the woman shook her head.

"Actually, no. He just appeared one day in our village, hanging around doing things for people. While Mrs. Law and I have asked him if he wished to stay here, he has turned us down repeatedly. Nice boy, but it seems he rather keep to himself."

Kagura wondered if he didn't like people. Though if that were the case, he wouldn't have been climbing up a tree to save someone's cat.

"Doesn't he have any parents?"

"If he does, they never come into town." The caretaker pointed out, making the girl even more curious about the situation.

The only reason Kagura asked was that she wanted to at least apologize for letting him fall. However, it wasn't like she was going to find him and tell him that she ultimately decided to drop the subject.

The next few weeks were...uneventful. Most of it was just Kagura and the rest of the kids being shown around town and having items bought for them.

Due to the small size of the town, kids who were over the age of 5 were allowed to wander alone. However, the curfew was set for sunset, and there wasn't a lot to do.

There was a small local library, but it felt like it was more set up for the kids in the town rather than any of the adults. Despite that, Kagura had a habit of visiting it daily.

The black-haired girl sighed as she at the small desk made for children. The librarian was off doing something else, and while there were some other kids in the building, it seemed they were more looking for a private place to talk rather than read.

Right, when she was about to leave, Kagura heard the librarian call out a name.

"Ah, Fon, you made it." The woman stated as Kagura instinctively turned her attention to the doorway to see a familiar boy.

The white-haired boy let out a yawn; the clothes he was wearing were the same as the ones Kagura saw him in before. Despite weeks having passed, it almost felt like she just saw him a few hours ago.

"Yep, glasses lady, I'm here to do..." Fon tilted his head. "What was I supposed to do again?"

The librarian sighed. "You are supposed to help me move some books around, most of the men are working at the moment, and you are the only one who does this sort of thing for free."

Kagura remained silent as Fon walked right past her. The hazel-eyed girl frowned for a moment. He looked... average, but something was somewhat off about him.

His smell, and his general aura felt...off. Like she wasn't looking at another person but something else.

"If you stare at him too long, he'll notice~" A voice nearly caused Kagura to jump as she quickly turned her head to see Risley.

Risley Law, the daughter of MeMe Law, her mother, was the owner of the building the kids were staying in. Though Risley and her mother rarely remained in the building overnight. It was clear that they had their own house.

Risley herself was a slightly chubby girl, though that never seemed to bother her.

"I guess you're right," Kagura replied as Risley glanced over to Fon and back to Kagura.

"Do you like him?"

"No, I haven't even talked to him yet." Kagura frowned as Risley laughed.

"Well, he is a weirdo. If you are that interested in him, why not follow him a bit. I was going to do that, but I got cold feet," Risley pointed out as Kagura glanced over to the odd white-haired boy.

Was it a good idea? On the one hand, it was somewhat dull in town, and she didn't have anything better to do that day, on the other hand, it was creepy. Even a six-year-old would be able to see that.

After Fon was done helping at the library, he casually walked out both Risley and Kagura frowned.

"W-well, if it's not too much trouble, I guess I can follow him," Kagura stated as Risley nodded.

"Good luck with that."

"Y-you aren't going to help at all?" Kagura asked, wondering if she was making the right choice in doing what she was doing.

"Nah, you can just tell me about it later." Risley laughed as the girl got up, leaving the library as well.

Kagura hesitated, was it right for her to spy on someone? Even if he were weird, she would be weirder doing something like that. At the same time, Risley was already expecting her to do something like that, so...

"If I just follow him around a little, it should be fine..." Kagura frowned as she quickly left the library, making sure not to lose track of her target.

It didn't take long for Kagura to find Fon again. Though this time, he was heading towards the exit of the village, which gave Kagura pause.

The kids were prohibited from leaving the town without the caretaker with them. For the most part, they followed that rule; at the same time, she barely got to know anything.

"I-I shouldn't leave..." Kagura frowned. She didn't want to get known as the girl that broke the rules in the first two weeks.

At the same time, it was still quite a long way from sunset, and if Fon traveled too far, she would turn right around. Kagura steeled herself as she walked out of the village, making sure no one saw her do so.

The path out was rather barren except for a few clusters of trees scattered in a few spots. Perhaps it was because the town itself was near a beach, either way, Kagura kept her distance trying her best not to alert her target.

After a few minutes, Fon finally reached a beach as Kagura stood behind a nearby tree. She nearly stopped her breathing as she peeked from her spot, not saying a word.

She noticed something off about the beach. There were holes in the sound, not just small holes. Instead, randomly placed holes that were somewhat sunken in. It was like there were sand-traps.

Kagura continued to look on as Fon placed his ear to the ground as if he was listening for something. He then put a fist into the sand, his eyes widening for a moment.

At that moment, a large chunk of sand flew into the air as if he punched the beach itself. Dust and shells flew into the sky before landing back down.

"Ah, was that magic?" Kagura's eyes widened. A few of the adults back in her old village knew some. However, something was off about Fon's. It was still magic, or rather...

Before Kagura's thoughts could wander any further, she noticed Fon looking around the beach before picking up a flipped over crab.

"He must be going to cook it," Kagura stated, that was the only thing that she could think of as Fon examined it further.

Then, without a hint of hesitation, Fon bit into the still moving crab, removing a third of it.

"E-eep!" Kagura let out a small yelp before quickly covering her mouth. "H-hey didn't even bother cooking it or killing it...he just took a bite of it like it was bread..."

Kagura remained silent as Fon finished the crustaceans in two more bites before letting out a yawn. He then started to create more holes in the ground with his 'magic' as Kagura frowned.

The simple action went on for a full hour. He would practice his magic, then find another crab to eat. Despite all the build-up, Kagura couldn't help but feel a bit cheated.

He was a weirdo sure, but it seems that he was practicing his magic. Kagura turned around as she leaned against the tree, taking her eyes off of him.

"Ah, I knew I shouldn't have done this..."

"Done what?" A voice asked as Kagura nearly tripped over herself as she quickly turned around to see Fon staring right at her.

"W-when did you..."

"Huh? When did I what?" The boy tilted his head, acting like what he just did wasn't a big deal.

"S-sorry, I'll go!" Kagura said, scrambling to her feet only to trip again.

"Huhuhuhuh! You must be pretty weak if you can't even walk properly!" Fon let out a rather annoying laugh as Kagura grumbled.

"That's not true, y-you just shocked me that's all." Kagura counted as Fon shrugged.

"Oh, sorry, but wasn't you the one that was following me?" His tone was genuine as Kagura winced.

"Y-you noticed?"

"Well, it's more that no other kid would go this far out." Fon pointed out as Kagura paused before speaking.

"So, do you live here?"

"Yep!" There wasn't a hint of hesitation in Fon's voice as Kagura took a few steps away from the tree, setting foot onto the beach. Besides the holes that Fon had created, there wasn't anything there.

No structures or tents or anything. Nothing that hinted at anyone living there.

"D-don't you have a house?"

"Nope!"

"W-what about your parents?" Kagura asked as Fon shrugged.

"I don't remember those." The fact that he referred to parents as objects more than people were odd.

"So...you just stay here by yourself?" Kagura asked as Fon happily nodded.

"Sure!"

Despite his overall positive demeanor, there was something sad about the whole thing. Though, the fact that Fon was completely okay with it meant that he probably didn't need any pity.

Not only that, but it wasn't like the town ostracized him. In fact, from the way that Kagura saw it, he had a pretty positive relationship with most of the towns-folk. So him being by himself was a deliberate choice.

"You're pretty lucky. You probably get to stay up as long as you want and do whatever you want." Kagura pointed out as Fon placed his hands on his hips and nodded.

"Yep! I also get to train all day long." Fon cheered as Kagura grumbled.

A weirdo with magic, that was the only thing he was. Considering how open he was, she probably could have just asked and skipped the whole following thing.

"Well, anyway, bunny girl, I got more training to do."

"My name is Kagura." Kagura quickly corrected as Fon looked at her, smiling.

"All right, either way, I have to train more. So I'll be seeing you." Fon grinned one last time as he walked back to the beach, leaving Kagura alone.

A part of her wished something a bit more exciting had happened. Still, she was just glad the entire thing wasn't a waste of time, and it would have been a lie to say that she wasn't interested in Fon at least a bit.

"I should probably head back before one of the other kids realize that I broke one of the rules."

 **Author note**

 **I am not sure if I am going to keep this as a prologue. Since chapters, where it's this heavily focused on Kagura probably, will be swapped for a bit more focus on Fon.**

 **I was even wondering if I should have done a chapter like this since it's pretty slow, and nothing exciting happened.**

 **Don't worry. I'm not planning on just having a story follow the same events as canon with an OC slapped into it. Expect significant changes in some arcs (Tower of Heaven specifically) and a lot of original arcs too.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

What do you fight for?

"Eh!" Risley quickly ducked under the wooden sword as Kagura grumbled ever so slightly. She clenched her blade as she looked over to her friend.

"That was a bit sloppy," Kagura frowned as Risley sighed, holding her chest.

"We've been at this for hours. We should probably take a break or something." The ten-year-old sighed as she sat on the ground Kagura staring down at her friend.

It had been three years since she had come to the village and by extension, the orphanage, and instead of spending all of her time sulking, she decided to put her time to good use.

Training, practicing, and working towards getting stronger. Back then, when her village was attacked and everything stripped from her, she knew it was due to a lack of strength.

"If you think a few hours is hard, then perhaps I should train by myself." Kagura pointed out as Risley frowned.

Kagura made it a point to have at least three hours of training every day, no matter the situation. Not just so, she could discipline herself, but also because of Fon.

Fon, despite his age, often trained for over eight hours a day. Kagura knew because she made it a routine to talk to him at least a few times a week. It was annoying, but informative.

"Geez, everyone already calls you the strongest kid in town. What more could you want?" Risley sat up, dusting herself off as Kagura closed her eyes.

"I'm not interested in something so cheap, plus I don't deserve that title...at least not until today ends," Kagura replied bluntly as Risley's eyes widened, she knew precisely what Kagura as talking about...or rather who.

"If this is about Fon, you really can't count him. He is kind of weird, and I mean that in the nicest way possible." Risley said as Kagura instantly shook her head.

"By not counting him, you just avoiding reality. I won't be able to do anything if I can't beat a kid."

She meant that from the bottom of her heart. Fon was...a sort of smaller goal for her. If she could manage to beat him, then she was one step closer in getting the power needed to save her brother.

"Kagura, you're a kid too." Risley had to point as Kagura frowned deepened.

"That's beside the point! Can you please ask your mom to come by so we can do a bit more training with magic?"

Both she and Risley was learning more about Gravity change from Mrs. Law, and she wanted every edge she could have.

Kagura wasn't putting it off any longer. She was going to beat Fon no matter what.

Risley sighed. "All right, you know you were way more relaxed when you first came here." Risley then walked off, grumbling to herself.

"It's not that I am less relaxed...it's just that I've changed," Kagura whispered those words as she glanced around the town, noticing that Fon was helping someone else once again.

It only took a few minutes for Mrs. Law to show up though compared to what she wore when she was at the orphanage, it was far more casual.

Both Kagura and Risley say down as the woman cleared her throat before grinning at the two.

"All right, I hope you two have been practicing since the last time we've met," MeMe asked her students as both her child and Kagura quickly nodded.

As if to give them a test, she gave each of them a small but dense metal ball. Despite them both being able to fit in the palm of your hand, they each weight a bit over 25lbs.

As Kagura and Risley struggled to lift the ball for a moment, the dense metal slowly became light allowing both to balance it on the tips of their fingers.

"AH!" MeMe let out a small yelp. "Amazing, of course, I should expect such a thing from my daughter and her friend!"

Risley faced turned red. However, Kagura's remained rather stoic, this was the previous lesson after all, and she wanted the next.

"Mrs. Law, you said we'd be working on changing the gravity of the surroundings next, right?" Kagura asked as MeMe scratched her cheek for a moment.

"Well, something like that takes a while to master. Right now, I want to focus on you two, changing your gravity and mass. If you do, you'll be able to brace for impacts better or make yourselves faster."

Kagura grumbled a bit, but if that was the next lesson, there was no point in trying to skip it.

From there, MeMe taught them the basics of how to change their mass and even shape. Risley was more interested in the latter, but it was still useful.

The lesson itself only took a little over an hour. Of course, it made sense, Mrs. Law was only really there to teach them the basics. From there, she would let Risley and Kagura practice on their own for a few days before checking if they were ready for the next part.

"All right, by the next time we have a lesson, I want the two of you to be able to change the weight of at least two of your limbs." Mrs. Law smiled as she and Risley got up, no doubt preparing to head home.

It was a bit past noon, causing Kagura to realize just how early she and Risley had gotten up to practice. A part of her felt guilty, dragging her friend along to do something so selfish.

"Would you like to come back with us for lunch?" Mrs. Law asked bluntly as Kagura stiffened. It was something she often did, but today she felt like it was best to focus on her goal.

"Sorry, but I have other plans."

"Yeah, mom, she probably wants to help some of the other kids." Risley pointed out. She was probably lying for Kagura. After all, if Mrs. Law figured out that Kagura was going to challenge Fon, she would freak out.

Kagura made a note to thank her friend as she took a deep breath. She didn't know why she was so nervous.

Fon, no matter how weird he was, was a kid just like her. It also wasn't like Fon was some enigma, she talked to him often, and he was a rather simple person.

Yet, for some reason, just the idea of fighting him made her shiver. Perhaps it was because she was the only one who knew how long he trained every day.

However, despite all of that, she still wanted to ask him a simple question. Despite knowing him for years, she never knew why he trained so hard. Kagura assumed he had a good reason to do so.

So, a small part of her felt a connection. He had a drive that the other kids didn't have.

Kagura glanced at her wooden sword. This was it. There was no need to wait any longer. She would get the title of number 1 in the village. At least in terms of the children in the area.

Kagura looked at the exit to the village. She had visited Fon so many times that she memorized the path that leads towards the beach. Kagura gripped her wooden blade.

She glanced from behind the tree, noticing Fon sitting in front of the beach. His clothes seemed less torn and tattered than before. Apparently, people around town often gave him old clothes for him helping them.

As Kagura took a step, she noticed Fon's body flinch a bit before he turned his head. Kagura took a deep breath as she stepped out from behind the tree, a big grin appearing on Fon's face.

"Hey, Bunny!" Fon smiled as Kagura eye twitched.

"You know that's not my name." The eight-year-old stated as Fon shrugged.

"Ah, sorry, I keep forgetting. So what's up? Why are you here so early?"

Kagura held her breath. She was there for a fight, yet she didn't think about how to ask. Despite everything, just coming out and ask for a match was rude.

"U-um, just wanted to talk..." Kagura frowned, changing the subject somewhat. She was trying to keep her back straight and proper. Perhaps once he spotted her wooden sword, he would take the hint.

"About what?"

Kagura groaned, but now would be the perfect time to ask the question. "Fon, why do you train so hard?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you go to the beach and train? Do you have something you want to do with that strength?"

Fon looked at Kagura for a moment before he laughed. "Ah, that? I do it because it's fun. I want to get as strong as possible and fight other people."

For some reason, his response made Kagura's eye twitch. "Because it's fun?"

"Yeah, it's something I can't describe. But every time I'm fighting or training, I feel a rush. So, I want to become the strongest!" Fon's statement was blunt.

"Y-you don't want to help anyone, find out about yourself or anything?"

"What are you talking about? Who cares about that!" Fon laughed as Kagura felt a weight on her chest.

It was something small, perhaps it was her fault for assuming, but the boy in front of him was just a weird idiot. There was nothing special about him. He didn't have a real goal. He didn't want to help someone. He didn't want to save anyone.

Kagura's hazel eyes narrowed as she pointed her wooden swords towards the ten-year-old.

"Fon, I challenge you to a duel!" Kagura's words were sharped as Fon's eyes widened even if it was slightly.

"Oh, you want to fight?" There was a certain amount of excitement in his voice. However, Kagura continued her statement.

"That is what I said. Someone who only fights for enjoyment doesn't deserve any title, even the one as small as strongest kid." Kagura took a deep breath as she lowered her stance.

She wasn't perfect with a sword. She was still a child after all. However, she should be good enough to defeat Fon. He was a fool with no proper training. He didn't even have a weapon.

Fon looked at Kagura, wondering how to reply. "Wow, if you feel that way, Bunny, I can't turn you down." Fon lifted both of his hands. It seemed that he was at least going to give her the time of day.

Kagura gripped her weapon, her heart racing. As she stared at him, she realized he was so calm. It was almost scary, she, on the other hand, couldn't shake her fear.

She had fought other kids before, she had trained with Risley, and she had defeated kids nearly three years older than her. Yet, she felt the grip on her sword loosen.

So, before she could realize her hesitation before she could step down, she launched herself, her sword raised.

Fon eyes dilated as he swayed his body, avoiding the blow. Without even waiting for a response, Kagura took another swipe as Fon placed his hand on her wrist, pushing her past him.

Kagura eye twitched as she regained her footing, her gaze traveling back to her enemy. Despite everything, Fon still looked relax, no that was wrong... instead Fon looked like he was enjoying himself.

"You... take this seriously!"

"I am, I'm seriously having fun!" Fon laughed as Kagura felt her blood boiling.

She had no idea why she was getting so angry. Perhaps she couldn't accept someone just goofing around being stronger than her, stronger than someone who had a goal and something she wanted to protect.

So she redoubled her efforts. Her swings grew faster and more precise, still despite all of that, Fon continued to dodge the blows. Even blocking some as if they were leaves.

Then without warning, she felt something hit her stomach. She reeled back a bit hold the spot, she didn't even notice Fon lift his arm.

"Huhuhuh! You're a lot better than the other kids! I didn't expect you to be this good." Fon gave a genuine compliment as Kagura lifted her blade once again.

"I'm...not going to lose to you." Kagura's eyes narrowed. She slowly took deep breaths as she felt her blade get heavier.

She wasn't supposed to do that, Mrs. Law said never to use Gravity change without another user of the magic around. At least not to make objects heavier. It was dangerous.

It could make even a wooden sword as deadly as an iron pole. Still, she wanted to win, besides someone like Fon should be able to take it.

Kagura swung her weapon again. Once again, Fon blocked it. This time however, his eyes widened as his arm shook.

"Geh, o-ow." Fon winced as his forearm turned red. Despite actually hurting him a bit, Kagura still wasn't satisfied.

The blow should have done more damage, yet for some reason, it was like the impact was lessened. Not like it mattered, it was clear that she had the advantage as Kagura raised her blade aiming for Fon's neck.

Fon's eyes widened as he leaned his entire body back, barely avoiding the blow. He then jumped back, holding his arm, his usual pleasant expression turned into a glare as Kagura smiled.

"You look rather angry. Maybe you should take this seriously." Kagura's voice was stern as she continued. "I know you can use magic. Maybe you should start doing so."

Fon didn't say anything as his stance widened. He placed one arm to his side and the other right above his head. It seemed that he was finally going to take their battle somewhat seriously.

Kagura took a few deep breaths. He was a kid, just like her. There was nothing to worry about. At least that is what she thought.

Without warning, Fon rushed towards her at a speed she had never seen before. He was completely different from all the other kids. Kagura nearly froze as she lifted her wooden blade, but before she could do anything, Fon's hand was already on her wrist.

Then, casually, Fon placed his fist against Kagura's chest. In an instant, it felt like two cinderblocks collided with her body. Her feet were lifted from off the ground as she was sent flying across the beach.

She skidded against the sand, her wooden sword falling next to her.

Fon harden expression finally softened as he laughed. "Huhuhuh! My magic is pretty cool. I think it's impact magic or something. Not only can I naturally increase the impact of my punches and kicks, but I can also absorb the impact of objects. Not only does it mean I take less damage, but I can also give it back a few times stronger. What you felt was all the sword swing I blocked during our fight."

Fon slowly walked up to Kagura as she struggled to sit up. She couldn't continue; it felt like her entire chest had been torn inside out. She didn't know what was worse, the fact that she was defeated or the pain she was in.

Fon stared at her for a moment. "H-hey, are you all right? I-I might have gone too far..."

Kagura winced, trying to speak, but nothing came out. She felt like a complete idiot, not only because of her defeat but because of her assumptions.

She assumed she would naturally be able to defeat him because what she was fighting for was more important than just fun. However, that was wrong; anyone who spent more than eight hours training everyday must have at least thought what they were doing was important.

So, as Kagura's vision started to fade, she realized just how harsh she was.

"S-sorr-" She stopped mid-sentence as she lost consciousness.

Kagura's eye twitched as she felt something warm wrapped around her body. She finally opened her eyes, noticing that she was back in her room. She sat up as she felt a bit of pain in her chest.

"Ah, so you are finally awake, missy." Kagura's eyes quickly darted to the doorway only to see MeMe standing there. It almost looked like she was pouting.

"A-Ah, Mrs. Law!" Kagura stuttered over her words. A part of her wondered how much trouble she was in.

If Fon was the one that brought her back, then there was a chance that he told her about her use of Gravity change and how dangerous it was. Thinking back on it, the moment she increased the weight of her wooden sword, she could have seriously hurt Fon.

"So, how are you feeling?" Mrs. Law asked as she walked over to Kagura's bed.

"W-well, I've been better...my chest hurts a bit."

"That's good. I heard from Fon that you ended up sparring with him for a bit, and things got serious." Mrs. Law stated bluntly as Kagura turned her head away.

"I-it's not his fault. I'm the one who asked t-"

"Don't worry about it. He told us about what happened...though I have a feeling he left some parts out for your sake." Mrs. Law's eyes narrowed.

Kagura ultimately decided to keep her mouth shut. Whatever Fon told her it probably wasn't a good idea to contradict it.

"Is, Fon here?" Kagura asked as Mrs. Law just shook her head.

"No, he probably went back home, wherever that is." Mrs. Law sighed as she brushed Kagura's hair to the side. "You should probably get some rest too. You were out for at least three hours..."

Kagura winced as her eyes quickly went towards her window. Mrs. Law was right; the sun was already setting, which was fine. Kagura's only real plan for the day was to fight Fon...and unfortunately, she managed to do that.

"Okay..." Kagura replied as Mrs. Law headed back towards the door.

"Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow." Mrs. Law winked at the girl before leaving shutting the door behind her.

Once again, Kagura was alone in her room with her thoughts.

"I'm an idiot..." She let out a sigh. She was pretty sure Fon hated her guts now, why wouldn't he?

Not only did she insult him, but she made him carry her back to the town. Even worse, she ultimately made a fool out of herself. It wasn't even a contest who was better.

The only thing Kagura felt was a sense of regret from the whole thing. Where there should have been pride and accomplishment, there was only the bitter taste of defeat and embarrassment.

Kagura was tempted to close her eyes and go to sleep, however before she could, she heard a small tap on her window. She slowly shifted in her bed, slightly ignoring the slight pain in her chest.

She glanced out the window noticing Fon sitting in the tree where she first saw him. Not only that, but it seemed he was holding her wooden sword.

Kagura was so caught up with what happened she completely forgot that she probably left her weapon at the beach...or rather Fon probably left it by mistake.

Kagura quickly opened the window leaning out of it slightly. "Hey..." Kagura frowned as if it was a somber moment.

"Hey!" Fon, on the other hand, had a goofy look on his face. It was like their battle had never happened. "You're awake, are you feeling all right?" Fon tilted his head as Kagura bit her bottom lip.

"Listen Fon. I'm sorry abo-"

"Eh, don't worry about it! Fighting you was really fun anyway. Plus, I wanted to return this," Fon lifted her sword as he casually tossed it to her.

Kagura barely had time to move as she quickly caught it, sliding it back into her room. "...Thank you."

"Eh, don't worry about it, Bunny. I hope you feel better soon. I probably should have held myself back a bit more." Fon laugh as Kagura grumbled a bit.

She couldn't help but feel she was being talked down to. Fon had a habit of being far too blunt with his words, something Kagura caught on quickly to.

"If you feel that way, then why don't you just leave me here for a bit so I can rest." Kagura huffed as Fon laughed.

"All right, get well soon!" Fon waved as he quickly climbed down from the tree back to the bottom.

Kagura sighed as she closed the window, placing her wooden sword underneath her bed. Despite the day not being the best, at least she didn't lose anything, besides maybe a few hours.

Though she still felt a lingering feeling.

"Perhaps, I should get to know Fon a bit more..."

 **Author Note**

 **This actually wasn't supposed to be another Kagura chapter. Since the point of the prologue was to show it form Kagura's point of view, then shift to Fon since he is the main character.**

 **However, I ended up writing another chapter with her in the center. Since I feel I needed to build on her feelings and her and Fon's relationship before 784 and the timeline proper.**

 **I'm also split on moving on to the main story or having one more childhood chapter since Kagura should be 16 in 784.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

 **Something Important.**

Kagura frowned as she sat in the main hall of the orphanage. At least that is what it was finally started being called.

Due to the years of Mrs. Law letting kids that had nowhere to stay at the building, it slowly adopted that title even though Mrs. Law herself insisted that it'd be called something else.

"You seem to be in a bad mood." Kagura opened her eyes, noticing Risley standing next to her, her hands on her hips.

"I'm not..." Kagura quickly pointed out as she continued to cross her arms and legs, her long black hair waving ever so slightly.

Despite only being 16, she had a certain air of maturity around her. Always formal and always wearing concealing clothes. To say she was unapproachable for most people would have been an understatement. Someone who felt like a commander more than a teenager.

...Which made her current situation all the more annoying.

"Fon went on a job without you, right?" Risley stated bluntly as Kagura flinched. As much as she hated to admit it, that was part of the reason. While Fon was out on missions growing, she was stuck doing nothing.

Mrs. Law insisted it was due to the town needing her there, but she had a nagging feeling it was because everyone was just worried about her safety.

How would she ever save Simon if people couldn't trust her with simple jobs? Sure she had slain monsters around the town and even ventured to the next town over, but it felt like she was on a tight leash.

"Honestly, if you just asked, he'd probably let you go."

Kagura remained silent for a moment as she sighed. "If I must ask, then it would remove the entire point of it..."

Apart of her wanted Fon to recognize her enough to ask her to go. Though she knew full well, that was most likely wasn't going to happen less because he didn't recognize her abilities and more that Fon liked fighting by himself.

He probably wouldn't ask anyone to go with him, Kagura being no different.

Before Risley could respond, the front door to the orphanage opened as Fon stepped inside...or rather, he tried to take a step inside as it was apparent he was trying to fit something far too significant through the door.

"H-hey!" Fon laughed as he pulled on the bag behind him, trying his best to fit what seemed to be a mountain through the tiny entrance.

Most of the children stared at him, that was until they noticed the wooden wall starting to bend.

"Y-you moron, stop that right now!" Risley snapped, running up to the red-eyes teen as he just stared at her for a moment.

"Oh, hey...you." Fon gave a blank expression. There wasn't a hint of malice in his voice. He just genuinely forgot Risley's name, and he found the best word to replace it.

"It's Risley! And what are you doing, if you keep trying to pull, whatever you are trying to pull through there the entire front wall is going to come down!"

She had to point that out as Fon pouted slightly.

"Geez, then maybe you guys should get a bigger door."

Risley groaned it was clear that talking to him wasn't going to do anything as she quickly pushed Fon to the side as she placed her hands on the giant brown sack. In an instant, it slimmed down, despite that it barely was able to fit through the door.

The moment Risley pulled it into the main room, she allowed it to go back to its standard shape and mass. When she did the sizeable brown sack instantly grew, it nearly took up a quarter of the room.

"W-what the hell is this?" Risley asked as Fon finally opened the sack completely as various fruits and packaged meats came falling out.

"Just some food, Mrs. Law asked me to pick up. She told me to bring back some stuff for the orphanage, so I did." Fon smiled as Kagura finally stood up, walking towards her friend.

"So, was this the job that you were sent on?" Kagura crossed her arms as Fon stared at her face for a moment as if scanning her.

"W-what?" Kagura frowned, her face turning red. Was there something on her.

"Geez, what's with that look, Kagura? You seem pretty angry about something." Once again, Fon said something far too blunt as Kagura quickly turned her head.

"Of course not, I am merely interested in what job you did. If it's nothing interesting, then you may be on your way." Kagura was almost motioning Fon to leave as the silver-haired teen just laughed.

"Kagura I have something to te-"

"Fon, you're back!" Before Fon could finish his thought, Mrs. Law descended the stairs looking at the large sack. "I...think you may have gone a little overboard."

"Huh? I was worried that I didn't bring enough," Fon laughed as Mrs. Law slumped her shoulders.

"I suppose this is fine, speaking of which. I would like to talk about payment," Mrs. Law stated as Kagura raised her brow.

It was...strange, no one ever paid Fon, except in things he requested. This was mostly due to Fon not having a use for jewels. Even Mrs. Law avoided paying him.

Of course, the entire thing was somewhat shady. Most of the people in town seemed to have been taking advantage of Fon's lack of understanding of both economics and money.

Though it was clear that Fon didn't mind, so most of them placed it in the back of their heads.

"Um, payment...sure!" Fon smiled, completely forgetting what he was going to tell Kagura.

Mrs. Law nodded before turning her attention to her daughter and Kagura. "Sorry to ask this of you guys, but could you help put the food in the proper places while I talk to Fon?"

"Sure!" Risley responded instantly as Kagura nodded.

"Good, now come on, Fon." Mrs. Law nearly dragged Fon upstairs, Kagura's eyes narrowing as the ascended the stairs.

Once Fon and MeMe were on the second floor, the woman quickly looked around scanning all corners as well as the rooms near the hallway. Her body relaxed before she turned towards Fon.

"So, did you get 'that'?" Mrs. Law asked as Fon nodded.

"Yeah...I got your packaged sweetcakes, but I think that sort of thing tastes better baked fresh..."

"Not that you idiot, the other thing, about Kagura!" Mrs. Law raised her voice as Fon's eyes widened.

"Oh, you mean about her broth-"

"Shh..." Mrs. Law then dragged Fon down the hall towards her tiny office. She nearly threw him inside as he took note of the stacks of papers that were neatly bottled.

Fon scratched his head as Mrs. Law slipped behind her desk causing her to straighten her back. It was apparent that the woman was trying her best to look professional, despite it going against her personality.

"Ahem...now you may continue." MeMe stated as Fon crossed his arms, clearly confused by the whole situation.

"Geez, I guess this must be an old person thing." Fon laughed as MeMe's eye twitched at the comment. However, she decided to let it slide, given the situation. "Anyway, someone told me about what happened to Kagura's a long time ago and where they took all the kids that were captured."

Fon said that as if his words didn't have any weight to them. MeMe couldn't help but sigh at how casually he was talking, though it may have had to do with the fact he didn't have any personal connections to those events.

"Who was the person who gave you this information?" Mrs. Law wanted to know if the source was credible or not. She didn't want to get hers or Kagura's hope up for what amounted to rumors.

"Well, he was a weird guy, and I didn't get his name...which probably means he was telling the truth!" Fon smiled as Mrs. Law mumbled something under her breath.

"Forget that part, tell me what information did he give you?" The fastest way to know if it was legit was to hear it after all.

"Oh, well, apparently I heard they took the captured kids to a place called the Tower of Heaven or something. I don't know much beyond that, and I have no idea where it's located."

The moment the words Tower of Heaven escaped Fon's lips, Mrs. Law went somewhat pale.

"I had heard rumors, but..." Her words stopped for a moment, that wasn't supposed to be public knowledge; in fact, not even she was supposed to know that. "Are you positive that they said something like that?"

Fon quickly nodded. "Yep, also what's up, why did you go all pale all of a sudden?"

"It's simply...the Tower of Heaven is a rather sad place. A place that most mages aren't even supposed to talk about." Mrs. Law crossed her arms, her thoughts wandering ever so slightly.

It was like a black mark on the history of Earthland. The magic council decided to ignore the events that happened there for a reason, after all. It made them look bad, so instead of solving the problem correctly they swept it under the rug. That, or they missed something.

"Gosh, that doesn't tell me anything." Fon was blunt again as the woman groaned.

"You really should think about what you say, regardless. That place is far too dangerous to go on a whim, even ignoring that it's rather far from our current location."

Mrs. Law then dug under her desk before taking out a map of Fiore. She then took a pen, slowly circling where the area of interest was. "See, it's right here..."

"..." Fon just stared at the map before scratching his head. "Ah, sorry, but I don't know where we are either."

Mrs. Law sighed. Honestly, she was wondering how someone like him was able to function from day to day, let alone complete jobs. However, she decided not to focus on that and just circled where the town was.

"As you can see, it's at least a three-day trip. That not even getting into if you'd be able to get a boat to get there."

"Ah, well I don't mind. I don't have anything better to do, so leaving and doing something for a week would probably be fun!" Fon smiled as Mrs. Law sighed.

She had a feeling that he was going to say something like that. "It's not you that I'm worried about, rather Kagura...you haven't told have you?"

"Actually I was goin-"

"Don't." Mrs. Law cut him off as Fon's eyes narrowed.

"Why? I think this is more important to her than anything else in the world." Fon was simple, but he knew just how important finding her brother was to Kagura.

"That is exactly why you shouldn't tell her. If this turns out to be another false lead, she would be devastated, or worse." There was a bit of logic in what Mrs. Law was saying, but it still didn't sit right with Fon.

Less because it was Kagura's brother and more that it was her dream, even going behind her back to get information about the whole thing had an air of dirtiness to it.

"I mean..." Fon frowned as Mrs. Law's eyes narrowed.

"Fon, think about this for a moment. If you tell her she'll probably want to go, she'll go, and as I recall, you prefer doing things alone, right?"

"Sure I do, but if it's something like this I don't mind taking her with m-"

"Forget it, don't tell her no matter what. If you are going to leave, make sure you do it tomorrow at midnight when everyone else is asleep." Mrs. Law stated bluntly as Fon shrugged.

"Okay, but if Kagura asks, then I really can't lie to her."

"Don't worry. She doesn't know anything about this. She has no reason to ask you anything about her brother." Mrs. Law stated, not realizing that the person she wanted to protect the most was standing on the other side of her door.

Kagura froze, her back to the wall. She had listened to their entire conversation as her body shook. She had used gravity change to lighten her footsteps to make sure that no one could hear her.

She knew something was off when Mrs. Law talked about paying Fon, but nothing like that.

"..." Kagura took a few deep breaths, a rush of emotions overcame her. A part of her was ecstatic that she had a lead to where her brother was, however anger and guilt slowly crept inside of her chest.

Anger that Mrs. Law would intentionally keep that from her, all in a guise of keeping her safe. It would have been bad enough if she just did it by herself, but she even managed to drag Fon into the lie.

The guilt came from the fact that Mrs. Law most likely was looking into information about all the children's lost families. After all, Kagura wasn't the only one misplaced due to the attacks. There were plenty of others. She probably got Fon to look for her since they were close.

So despite everything, she was in a complicated situation as Fon and Mrs. Law continued talking.

"Also, take the map, so you don't get lost. I'll bring you some food and some money later on tomorrow." Mrs. Law stated as Fon nodded, taking the map.

That was Kagura's cue to leave. She quickly ran down the hall, taking the nearest corner before heading back into her room. She wanted to be there anyway it was just convenient that it happened to be on the same floor.

Kagura stayed in her room for hours, directly staring up at the ceiling. Over the past ten years of living in the building, she had made the place her own. Her first wooden blade was hung up like a trophy with books scattered about.

The iron ball she used for gravity training was in the corner; of course, it had long since been outdated. However, she felt a connection to it, enough so that she couldn't get rid of the old thing.

"Yes...over these years, I certainly have made a lot of wonderful memories." Kagura's heart fluttered just thinking about all the good times she had with Mrs. Law, Risley, and even Fon.

Which made the thought of her brother suffering all the more painful. The idea she got to enjoy so much while he was in a hellish place tugged on her soul. She didn't know what the Tower of Heaven was like, but the short description she overhead Mrs. Law give didn't paint a nice picture.

Everything she did, every smile she shared with someone else, was at the cost of her brother. Despite all the training she had been through, she suddenly felt like that same little girl again.

Kagura sat in her room until the moon was in the sky. She took a deep breath as she opened the window, leaping down onto the ground. She knew that Fon would be leaving the next night. However, she wanted to confront him before then.

Fon was a jerk, or rather too blunt for his own good. He also had a bad habit of shrugging off even dire situations and laughing — someone who wouldn't get angry over small meaningless stuff even if it's essential to someone else.

However, weirdly, he was one of the purest people that Kagura had ever met. He wasn't someone who could lie, for better or worse.

As she made her way through the town, the once unsettling darkness seemed so familiar to her. It went without saying that she no longer had a curfew or anything of the sort.

Kagura walked the wooded path as she came up to a familiar beach. Once again, Fon was doing his usual training; this time, each impact made the earth shake a bit.

He had grown stronger since they were just kids sparing with wooden swords. Still, it was a somewhat somber scene. Perhaps a part of her realized that once she asked to go with him, she would never see it again.

"Fon..." Kagura didn't hesitate to walk out as Fon quickly turned his head.

"Oh, it's Bunny, ah...though I think in this situation I should call you moon rabbit!" Fon laughed, lifting his fist from the sand.

Kagura closed her eyes before her face slowly morphed to a stern look. It would be a single quick blow.

"So, do you have anything you want to tell me?"

Fon looked at her for a moment as his eyes shifted to the side. "Ah, not really."

He was an awful liar, though perhaps that was just a sign that he was a good person despite how arrogant he could be at times.

"Are you sure?"

"..."

"..."

"...All right, I know something about your brother, don't look at me like that." Fon frowned, turning his head as Kagura sighed.

"I know, I heard you and Mrs. Law talking about it earlier today." Kagura sighed as Fon crossed his arms.

"If you knew, then why did you ask just now?"

"Isn't the better question why would you keep that sort of thing from me?" Kagura instantly shot back as Fon sat down on the sand, crossing his legs.

"I wanted to tell you I was probably going to tell you tomorrow, regardless of what Mrs. Law said. I didn't know how you would react o-"

"I'm going with you..." Kagura's words were quick and to the point. It wasn't even up for discussion. If her brother even had a 1% chance of being there, then she needed to make sure.

The idea of someone else going there doing it for her made her sick to her stomach. "Do you and Mrs. Law think I'm some weak-willed woman who will break under pressure?"

Fon looked at her before laughing. "Huhuhuh, nope, it's just that you're usually a huge stick in the mud. So the thought of traveling around and sleeping outside never entered my head."

Kagura's face turned red at Fon's words. Or rather a phrase, she had heard 'stick in the mud' before, and instead often at that. "I-if you think I am above camping to save my brother, then you are more foolish than I thought."

Fon shrugged, "well, I was never against taking you along. It is your brother, as well as your dream. If I were to do it for you, then it would lose all meaning..."

Despite saying them in jest, Fon's words felt heavier than expected. This was her burden to bear, and yet it still felt like she was pushing it on him, if only slightly.

"Fon...thank you."

"You don't have to. It's not like I'm doing it just for you." Fon smiled as Kagura's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" She really couldn't think of any other reason why he would want to go to such a specific place.

"My dream is to become the strongest...and this Tower of Heaven place sounds like it's filled with a bunch of strong people. I'm sure I'd be able to get stronger by fighting them."

Kagura's eyes widened, she wondered if he genuinely meant that, or if he was saying it to make her feel better. Still, she couldn't help but smile at his comment.

"You're a rather selfish guy, huh?"

"Yep, sorry!" Fon said with a broad grin. Then without warning, Kagura put out her hand, her posture straightening.

"This will be a sign of our promise," Kagura stated as Fon looked at her hand before nodding. He slowly lifted himself from the sand, grabbing Kagura's hand.

"All right then, tomorrow at midnight, we leave. So you better prepare for your first real job!"

 **Author Note**

 **This chapter was slightly more split between Kagura and Fon. Thinking about it, this entire arc is probably going to be focused on Kagura, and the one after that will be more on Fon.**

 **Kagura having more of the spotlight now makes more sense since it's about her brother and those feelings.**

 **I have specific ideas for the arc as well as some changes since it's clear Fon and Kagura will arrive at the Tower of Heaven during the time of the arc.**

 **Of course, there are going to be at least 2-3 chapters before they get there properly.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

 **Departure.**

Kagura took a deep breath as she looked up at the moon. Her eyes slowly started to wander around the room. Perhaps it dawned on her this would be the last time she would see it, at least in awhile.

She had her bag packed with various pieces of clothing and other items. The clothes she were wearing were a dull brown. It really wasn't something that fit her personality.

However, she wasn't going to make a fashion statement. She was going to look for her brother. Was he going to be there? Or would her dream be taken from her again?

Kagura sighed as she looked at the note she had written early that day. Despite everything that had happened, she couldn't just vanish without telling anyone. Even though it would be for her benefit, she couldn't do it.

Besides, Mrs. Law probably already knew where she was going to go anyway. The note itself was more there explaining her reasoning rather than say where she was headed.

With that, Kagura put on her backpack opening the window. She glanced over to her wooden sword one last time before jumping out of the window and onto the ground. She slowly made her way towards the town entrance before noticing someone standing there waiting for her.

At first, she thought it was Fon, but she realized he probably wouldn't have come back to the village to pick her up, that and the outline of the figure was wider. It didn't take long for Kagura to realize who it was.

"Risley..." Kagura frowned as her friend eyes narrowed, the girl placed her hands on her hips before sighing.

"I noticed you were acting strange all yesterday, and I am starting to understand why," Risley replied to her friend as Kagura's eyes fell to the ground.

"Listen, this is about my brother..."

"I know, that's why I won't stop you."

Risley's words caused Kagura's eyes to widen.

"Risley...thanks."

"You don't have to do that. If I was in the same situation, you would do the same. Though, you better not regret letting you do something like this, so make sure you come back safe and sound." Risley smiled as Kagura nodded, walking past her friend.

"I promise..." With that, Kagura headed out of the town and onto the trail leading to the beach.

It didn't take long for Kagura to reach a familiar shore as Fon was standing over what appeared to be an oversized fishnet throwing random garbage into it. She then noted that he tied it up and put it over his shoulder.

"Hey, Bunny, you ready to go?" Fon turned his head as Kagura stepped out from behind the tree.

"Yes, I suppose you already have the map?" Kagura asked as Fon nodded, he then pulled out the map from the fishnet before casually tossing it to Kagura who promptly caught it.

"You're better at reading that sort of thing. So I'll let you plan where we go next."

It was like Fon, anything that required more than a basic understanding of something was too far over his head. Then again, Kagura probably wouldn't have been able to sleep at night knowing that Fon was leading the way.

Kagura opened up the sheet of paper, noticing the marking that Mrs. Law had put on it, she tilted her head seeing the second circle where the Tower of Heaven was supposed to be.

"Ah, it's near, Akane Beach..." Kagura frowned as Fon tilted his head.

"Huh, where is that?"

"It's a resort area that Mrs. Law told me about, but it's pretty far from here, so I doubt we'll make it in a single day." Kagura pointed out, but it made sense. Mrs. Law did tell Fon that after all.

Kagura continued to look at the map noting that there were two smaller towns on the way there. One was Fragrance Town, a city she sometimes visited often to run errands.

"We'll make two stops before we reach Akane Beach. From there...we'll decide what to do next."

Kagura didn't know the exact location of the tower, but she knew it probably wasn't a place where they could walk in. Not only that, but Akane Beach was a pretty expensive resort if there were any information that they could gather from there they would need to find a way in.

She would have to worry about all of that when they got there. Right now, they would need to start traveling.

"Shshsh, fine by me...man, I wonder what kind of place Tower of Heaven is. Do you think it's a tower that goes to paradise or something? OH! Do you think there are strong people in paradise?"

"Is fighting all you worry about?" Kagura frowned as Fon pouted.

"Wah? No, I worry about eating and training for fighting!" Fon laughed as Kagura groaned. She honestly couldn't be too angry with him, despite the circumstances he was helping her.

"We should probably get going. I want to get at least three hours of travel before we have to stop. Maybe in the next town, we can ask for a ride." It was hopeful thinking, but she was willing to do whatever it took to see her brother again.

"All right, you got the map, so lead the way." Fon pointed out as Kagura did just that.

The two of the left the beach cutting through the woods. They arrived on the main road as Kagura took a deep breath. It was something strange about traveling down that road with Fon.

They would hopefully arrive at the next town before sunrise, or at the very least at dawn. Despite the situation, Kagura didn't want to spend the entire trip traveling at night. If they managed to find an inn, they would stay until mid-day before leaving again.

Kagura's eyes wandered to Fon, thinking about it. This was going to be the first time they were going to be alone for an extended period. She didn't know much about it.

"Your magic is self-taught, right?" Kagura asked as Fon looked at her before smiling.

"Ah, well, I don't know how I learned it. I just knew it one day, pretty weird, huh?"

Kagura frowned. The way he was talking was like it wasn't a big deal. While certain people could awaken their magic after being put under a large amount of stress, however, not only was that extremely rare but the way Fon was talking about it...he just had it.

No explanation for it, no nothing, at least, not one Kagura could understand. It was an oddly frustrating experience. Fon knew a decent amount about her, her dreams and her family. Yet the only thing she knew about Fon was his goal to be the strongest.

"By the way, Kagura, you talked about your brother a lot, but are you sure he is going to be the same person when you find him?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you've changed a lot from when we first met, right? So I've been thinking, even if you do see your brother again, he's probably completely different. Even then, it's super weird that he never tried to find you or any-" Fon stopped his statement the moment Kagura glared at him.

The fact that Fon was even insinuating that Simon may have been avoiding her was enough to make her blood boil. Kagura was sure whatever the reason he didn't look for her was a good one.

"You probably would not understand, you do not have a family or anything of the sort. So you can't comprehend what I'm talking about." It wasn't until the words left her mouth did Kagura realize just how harsh her words were.

"Ah, I apologize, that was me making an assumption..."

"Nah, don't worry...you're completely right!" Fon laughed off the comment like he always before continuing. "I mean, I get it when I see Mrs. Law and her daughter together and stuff. I guess it's the sort of relationship that can't be copied easily."

"Of course not. It's something special. I'm sure if you grew up with your family, you'd feel the same way."

Fon thought about Kagura's words if only for a moment. "Bah, this is boring, anyway...have you gotten any stronger since we last fought?"

"You're worried about something like that?" Kagura frowned as Fon just smiled.

"Sure, it'd be terrible if you were too weak to do anything." Once again, Fon's bluntness was overbearing. However, he had a point. Over the years, Kagura wasn't able to defeat him, not a single time.

She was hoping that she would have been able to do it before she made such a trip. However, she couldn't pass up the chance now that it presented itself.

Kagura always wondered how Fon got so strong. Sure he trained more than anyone he knew, but there had to be something else. He didn't fight for anyone else, and it didn't seem to be friendship or revenge that motivated him.

It was something else, something fundamentally different in how he approached the idea of fighting compared to others. Kagura just wished that she could understand him.

Just then, both Kagura and Fon stopped as the sound of a wagon came their way.

"Gosh, it's kind of late to be traveling, huh?" Fon stated, not realizing the irony of his statement.

"Come on!" Kagura snapped as she quickly dragged Fon off the road and into the nearby bushes. As they waited for a wagon with half a dozen men slowly started to ride by, the only thing lighting their appearance was a couple of lanterns.

"That bitch, can't believe she managed to swap all our stuff with rocks without us even noticing!" One of the men growled as another replied.

"Don't worry about it. The next town is pretty weak. So we'd probably be able to steal whatever we want, not only that she was probably heading in this direction regardless."

They must have been bandits, at least that is what Kagura could have gleaned from their short conversation. Not only that, but they were planning on raiding the next town over.

Kagura grumbled, biting her bottom lip. She hated those who would attack the weak for their gain, even more so when those same people moved in groups to hide their own.

Kagura stood up as Fon stared at her and smiled.

"Shishishi, we're going to fight, aren't we?" Fon asked as he too stood up.

"Eh?" The bandits stopped their carriage as one of the men turned towards the bushes. "That's weird. I thought I heard something."

"It was probably some fox or a de-" He didn't get to say anything as they noticed someone standing in the middle of the road, a glare in their eyes.

Kagura stared, scanning each and every one of them. The bandits continued to look back, frozen.

Perhaps it was the bad luck from earlier, but not a single one dared to make fun of the 16-year old that stood before them. "D-damn it, another mage, here of all places?"

Was it that apparent that she was a mage? Kagura assumed only a mage would stand in front of a bunch of bandits with only a single sword. Still, she couldn't help but thing her enemies were making assumptions.

"If you turn around now, you'd save all of us some trouble." Kagura's words were cold as one of the bandits laughed nervously.

"A-are you with that girl from earlier? One of the bandits asked as Kagura closed her eyes.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, but if another mage defeated you earlier, then perhaps you should learn your lesson and leave." Kagura's words were sharp as the bandits grumbled.

"Well, I guess we don't have much of a choice then..." He tried to smirk, but right when he got off the carriage, the sound of wood being broken apart was heard.

The horses cried the carriage they were attached to was broken and blown away instantly; the animals wasted no time fleeing as the bandits' bodies stiffened.

"Man, these guys aren't strong at all." Fon sighed, carrying what seemed to be two men over his shoulders. "All I did was punch them once, and they completely collapsed."

"Was that necessary, Fon?" Kagura groaned as Fon smiled.

"Well, I tried to hold back as much as possible, but I didn't think they'd be blown away like that."

Kagura's eyes narrowed, honestly she was hoping to take the carriage and horses to make traveling easier. However, Fon had crushed that idea completely, at the very least she'd be able to take out the bandits.

Kagura lifted her still sheathed blade. Honestly, Fon had already taken out so many of them that it felt like she was more on clean-up duty than anything else.

"D-damn it run!" The leader instantly shouted as Kagura placed her hand on the ground. The moment she did, the gravity increased significantly, causing all of the bandits to fall to the ground.

Fon, on the other hand, crossed his arms, utterly unaffected by the sudden change in weight.

"W-we can't move..." One of them cried as Kagura stood over them, her eyes telling them exactly what she thought.

"Do not worry. I will not kill you. Rather, I will put you to sleep for a bit..."

It didn't take long for Kagura to do just that. She knocked out the remaining bandits as she and Fon tossed them to the side of the road. While she knew it wouldn't stop them completely, they probably weren't going to be trying to attack any villages anytime soon.

"Man, talk about a let-down. At least I got to punch something today."

"We should start moving again, the plan has not changed, and I want to get to town before sunrise," Kagura stated as she picked her bag back up as the two continued down the road.

A part of Kagura was interested in the mage that had gotten in their way before, but they defeated them so quickly that she didn't have a chance to ask about her.

There weren't that many guilds around the area, the closest one was one called Mermaid Heel, and even that was a bit far off their current route. Whatever the reason, she would think about it later.

It took around two hours for them to arrive in Fragrance Town. Fon's nose twitched as if he was holding back a sneeze as Kagura started speaking.

"This town creates and distributes perfumes around the area. I've been here picking some up for the other girls back at home, but I personally never used any."

It was less due to Kagura being against that sort of thing and more that she simply didn't like the smell of most perfumes. They either had a rather overpowering odor, or it just smelled terrible.

"Ah, I guess that makes sense...though I never really seen perfume before." Fon smiled.

The two looked around for a moment noting how dead the town felt. Which made sense, they got there around 2 a.m. it would have been stranger if anyone else was awake.

"I think the inn is open all day and night, so we should head over there now before it gets any later." She was already embarrassed that she was going to bother someone so late. She didn't want to make the situation worse.

Kagura walked through the town as Fon followed. It didn't take long for them to reach the inn, luckily it seemed that some light was on as Kagura knocked on the door holding her breath.

There was a pretty good chance that they would end up having to camp outside if no one answered. It took a few minutes as Kagura heard a grumble from the other side. The door quickly opened as a girl that was nearly half of Kagura's size came walking out.

"You do know what time it is?" Kagura twitched the moment the girl spoke, less because of her tone and more because of her voice. It didn't sound like a girl at all. Instead she sounded like an adult woman in her mid-twenties.

Perhaps it was because she was used to coming by the town earlier, but she didn't remember seeing someone so odd before.

"S-sorry, I was just wondering if we could have a room?"

"That depends, do you have money?" The girl was blunt as Kagura slowly took out a bag of jewels.

She had been saving her money on and off for such an occasion. While it probably wasn't enough to get into a resort, it should have been enough to stop by a few places and make sure they had food.

"Fine, come in, but you mages need to learn to come by earlier. Another young lass came by at midnight."

The weird woman-girl allowed them inside as a light illuminated the inside of the building. A lacrima was at the counter, completely lighting the room up. Without hesitation, the woman grabbed the bag from Kagura's hands counting out the desired amount of money before returning it.

"There you go, this should be enough for you and your boyfriend."

"Listen he is-"

"Also, whatever you two are planning on doing in there, make sure you do it quietly." The woman stated bluntly as Kagura's eye twitched.

"Don't worry. When me and Kagura are alone, we don't make too much noise, though...she does get tired pretty fast." Fon smiled as Kagura's face turned a bright red.

Despite his comment most likely being innocent, it quickly could have been taken the wrong way. "Let's just hurry up and get to our room."

Kagura quickly grabbed the key before heading down the hallway. Fon shrugging as he followed her.

It didn't take too long for them to find their room as Kagura opened the door sliding inside. Fon followed as Kagura took note of something odd about the area.

It was strangely spacious, almost impossibly so. Not only did they have enough room to set down their bags, but they could still walk around freely though that may have been due to the second oddity about the room.

"There is only one bed..." Kagura frowned as Fon nodded.

"Yeah, but it looks pretty big, huh? So we can probably share it."

"We will do no such thing!" Kagura snapped as Fon's eyes widened before he crossed his arms.

"Eh, why not? I mean, I don't mind sleeping on the floor...unless." Fon thought about it for a moment.

Perhaps he finally realized just how inappropriate it was for them to randomly jump in bed together. At least that is what Kagura was hoping.

"I get it, someone like you must need a lot of room while they sleep. Since your chest and butt are so big, you'd probably end up hitting anyone sleeping next to you with them."

"..." Kagura remained silent as if she was processing Fon's words. Not only did he completely miss the point, but he managed to say something rather embarrassing as well. "F-forget I even said anything, I'll be taking the bed, and you can take the floor."

Fon shrugged as he took a seat on the wooden floors before looking through the bag he had brought with him. Like Kagura expected, most of it just seemed like random junk that he got from the sea.

Though he had the right idea of checking his belongings as Kagura did the same. She would need to switch clothes before they set out tomorrow, not only that they needed to prepare well.

While the first town was only a few hours away from where they lived, the next one would take an entire day of travel, and from there another day to reach Akane Beach.

Regardless, she was rather tired. She hadn't rested since she woke up the previous morning, mostly due to her nervousness about preparing for the trip. However, so far, nothing had been a significant problem.

"Perhaps...this may be simpler than I first imagined."

Kagura whispered those words to herself, not realizing just how wrong she was.

 **Author note**

 **This is weird since this is SUPPOSED to be a somewhat action-heavy series, but there isn't that much action in it so far. I guess things aren't going to start getting to move until Akane Beach and the events that transpire there.**


End file.
